Bryan Price: You’re not right…or wrong

by Michael Fine

21 Apr 2015

Last night, Cincinnati Reds manager, Bryan Price, performed his best Lou Piniella impression by going berserk on his beat reporters in regards to the media leaking roster information. As someone who has worked in sports media for a brief moment and also respects the game of baseball, I can see this both ways. Price was irritated that some media members were tweeting that a player being called-up was in the airport on his way to Cincinnati. This isn’t unusual but the part that got Price heated was that the kid getting sent down had not been told the news. The other story that made the skipper lose his mind was when a report surfaced that a Reds player would not be available to pinch-hit in a game due to an injury.

Let’s face some facts with this story. Technology has evolved to the point that if some reporter does not see a player in the airport, trust me, a fan will notice and make it public. I understand baseball players are just as human as you and I, however, these kids should know the cliche line of “it’s a business” and deal with their demotion or promotion like an adult. It’s also worth noting Price’s rant has other motives such as showing his team he has their back. The media is around to report the news and their golden moment is to leak information before it’s official. This is how it has worked for decades and will continue to operate in the same manner. One could see how making a report public that a player is not available could be non-beneficial for a team. Beat writers walk the fine line of being in the good graces of the team, but also have to report the news for public knowledge. Bryan Price also has to walk a fine line because he will need the media in certain situations. It’s a convoluted relationship and it’s not changing anytime soon.